Find me a match
by mandyg67
Summary: Derek returned to NY with Addison to give his marriage another try after the prom, but a call from Dr. Bailey brings him back to Seattle.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Derek frowned as he looked at the large stack of research proposals. He loved doing research himself, but he found reviewing other doctor's research proposals to be trying. As chief, he had to evaluate the proposals and decide which would proceed and which needed more work. He usually required doctors to resubmit their proposals at least twice before giving them the green light. Those who got a yellow or red would be disappointed, and they would bombard his office with their entreaties.

The phone rang. He was glad for the interruption. He saw the Seattle area code and wondered who would be calling him. His heart raced a bit; could it be Meredith? But he was soon disappointed. "Hi Derek. I've been meaning to call you to congratulate you on making chief."

Derek laughed, "Bailey, I've been chief for two years. I'm sure that's not why you called. But thanks anyway. How are you?"

"I'm doing great. But I'm working on an important project, and I need your help."

"What's the project?"

"Doctors saving lives."

"That's what we do, Miranda."

"Not through our medical care, but through our participation in the miracle of transplants. Right now, we're asking doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers to join us in the Bone Marrow Registry. We're doing a drive at hospitals nationwide, and I'm calling you to ask you to lead a drive at Mount Sinai. "

"What got you involved in this project?"

"To be honest, I have a personal interest."

"Is there something wrong with Tuck or someone else in your family?"  
Bailey frowned. She knew she had to give some information; she had promised she wouldn't let him know about Chrissy. But she didn't want to lie. She tried to walk the line, being honest but keeping her promise to maintain the girl's anonymity. "No, Tuck is doing fine. But a fellow staff person here has a little girl who needs a bone marrow transplant. She has leukemia."

"How awful. Anyone I met?"

Bailey frowned again. She didn't like to lie, but she had a promise to keep; she couldn't give an honest answer, so she needed to dodge the question. "Derek, I'm sorry, but this patient's family has requested that we maintain her anonymity. We're calling her Baby Grace for Seattle Grace. I can say she is a gorgeous, bright, adorable girl, but now she's very sick and could die without a match. No one in her family was a match, so her oncologist had to contact the registry, but there was no match for her there, yet."

"Did you do a drive at Seattle Grace?"

"Sure we did. We had 100% participation. There were even a couple of people who were Christian Scientists who decided to participate in the drive. Everyone loves this little girl. She was very special long before she was sick. We've known her since she was born, right here in the hospital. Even I've taken her home to babysit when needed. She's a lot of fun; she has a great sense of humor. Tuck adores here; we sometimes go to the playground together. "

Bailey smiled thinking of Chrissy's good days, but then she got serious. "But that was before she got sick. Sadly, no one was a match for her, but, on the bright side, three people on our staff were matches for others. I myself was already in the registry, and I've given my marrow twice. There's a big dearth of African American donors, so it's particularly important to increase the number of African-American donors. So Derek, will you lead the effort at Mount Sinai?"

"No problem. What do I need to do?"

"I've already set up a contact at the Bone Marrow Registry, Suzie Chan. We're calling this the Baby Grace drive. I'll email you with the contact info. I'll send you some of the material we've developed. You just need to send an email to everyone on your staff and encourage them. We gave everyone who gave recognition and then we had a party when we reached 100%"

"Didn't the people at Seattle Grace know who the little girl was? I'm sure that was a big factor in getting 100%"

"I'm sure you can find someone at Mount Sinai who has a family member or friend who has needed a bone marrow transplant, if you want to make a personal appeal." Bailey then thought a moment and decide it to push it, even if it was risky. "And Derek, it would be great if you could step up and be an example yourself. When I asked for people to contribute, I always told them that I was on the registry. It really helps"

"I'll do it for you, Bailey."

"Thank you so much." Bailey smiled. She had done her job. If her plan worked, maybe Chrissy would find a match.

Addison frowned. She read the email from her ex-husband, directed to all members of the staff. "Join the drive to save Baby Grace. 100% of the doctors, nurses, and other employees of Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington have joined the Bone Marrow Registry in an effort to save the life of a three year old girl, who is part of the Seattle Grace family. While so far they haven't found a match for Baby Grace, they have found three matches for other patients, so three people have a chance at life they didn't before. I've already been tested today. I'm asking everyone at Mount Sinai to join the registry. Let's match Seattle Grace."

She got up and went up to his office, not stopping to knock. "Derek, what is with this email?"

"I got a call from Dr. Bailey. You remember her, right?"

"Sure do."

"She is asking hospitals nationwide to join Seattle Grace in the search for a bone marrow donor for a little girl."

"And she started with Mount Sinai."

"Well, she knows me."

"Derek, did she give you the real name of the girl who needs the transplant?"

Derek shook his head. "No. Bailey wouldn't say. The girl's family wants to be anonymous. What difference does it make? It's a good thing to do."

Addison frowned. "Of course, it's a good thing to do. I've been on the registry myself for a dozen years. And I've never been a match. Finding a match through the registry is tough. I'd think that looking for relatives would be more likely to yield a match."

"They tried that, too. Bailey said no one in the family was a match."

Addison looked Derek in the eye. He met her eyes with his piercing blue eyes without hesitation. She knew that he wasn't keeping anything from her, but she decided to press. "Derek, I'm sorry. I find this suspicious."  
"Suspicious? Bone marrow registry drives are very common."  
"I know. I can't help feeling that Bailey called you because you might be a match."

"What do you mean? I don't have any family in Seattle."

"Not that you know of, you mean."

"What are you suggesting, Addison?"

"Derek, as I recall, Seattle Grace had a prom almost four years ago, and, as I recall, you got carried away in an exam room . . . "

"Addison, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting? Do you really think that Bailey suggested this whole thing as a cover to test me?"

"Yes, Derek. Bailey would do anything for one of her interns, you know that. And getting everyone here to join the marrow could save dozens of lives, so it's a win win."

"If Meredith Grey had my child – and that's what you're suggesting, Addie?" He looked Addie in the eye, and she nodded, "don't you think she would have called me long ago?"

"Look, Derek, you walked away from her and moved three thousand miles away to make our marriage work. Why would she call you? Maybe she doesn't know we gave up the ghost last year and divorced. Or maybe she found out we got divorced, and she's been waiting for you to visit. I don't know why you never called her."

"Addie, how could I? She asked me to choose her, and I didn't. Even after the prom, I chose you a second time. How could I go back and tell her I loved her and it was all a mistake?"

"When I divorced you, I expected you'd do that and try and make yourself happy. What good is it being miserable by yourself here when you love her?

"I'm not miserable. And it would break my heart if she rejected me. And, if you're right about her having a baby and not having the decency to let me know I'm a dad . .. . "

"Well, Derek, maybe it was about me. Maybe she didn't want me mothering her child. Or maybe she didn't want the baby being bounced from Seattle to New York. I don't know. I'm just staying I'm suspicious."

"Well, I have no reason to believe that I have a child in Seattle. But if I'm a match, I'll definitely be suspicious, how about that? Don't you think Mount Sinai should do the drive, whether it's for Meredith Grey's daughter or someone else's child?

"I'm all for doing the drive. If everyone here joins, we can save several lives. I'm just worried that you might have a sick child. And that I might have kept you from your daughter. It would all be my fault." Addie started tearing up. "I should have let you go."

Derek got up and put his arms around Addie as she started sobbing. "Addie, it would be Meredith's fault for not letting me know. And my own fault for not going back to Meredith after we got divorced."

"She might have thought it would have screwed up our marriage. And she wouldn't want you to choose her because she was your daughter's mom."

"Still, it would be wrong to keep a father from his daughter. I don't want to believe that Meredith would do that. We'll have to see what happens."

Addie decided to take action and investigate, so she called her best friend in Seattle. "Hi Callie, it's Addie."

"How are you? It's been a long time since I've heard from you. Are you coming to Seattle for a visit? I have a guest room, if you need one."

"No, just calling to touch base and get the latest gossip."

"Nothing interesting since you and Derek left. I hear Derek made chief at Mount Sinai. Congratulations."  
"I'll tell him you said congratulations, but we're not married anymore. Divorced for a year now."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like you have the good gossip."

"How can you say nothing interesting when Bailey is starting a national drive to get donors for the Bone Marrow Registry?"

"That's just a good deed, nothing interesting." Callie frowned. Bailey had gotten to her, sworn her to secrecy, knowing that Addie or Derek might call her.

"I hear there's a three year old child, Baby Grace, how needs a donation."  
"That's true."

"Do I know her family?"

"Look Addie, if I could, I'd tell you, but the family wants its privacy so the info is confidential. I'm a doctor, and I can't reveal confidential info. Besides, what difference does it make? It's a good deed."

"Callie, I lost my husband because of Meredith Grey."

"You may be divorced, but so far he hasn't come looking for her. And I seem to recall that he left you in New York before he met Meredith."

"That's true. He's an idiot. A brainless brain surgeon. I told him myself he should go after her, after we divorced, but he was too stubborn; he said he lost his chance when he gave our marriage a real try, back home. Anyway, when Bailey called Derek, I figured that she must be searching for match for Meredith's little girl. The changes of finding a good match through a random search are slim. Even a parent has only a one out of 200 chance of being a good HLA match. But a parent would be that girl's best shot."

"Many people have had their lives saved through the Bone Marrow Registry. It's worth a try, even with no relative in the mix. With the new people we added to the registry, we found at least three new non-relative matches."

"Look, I'm fine with adding to the registry. I've long been on the registry myself, not that anyone's ever needed my marrow. I just want to know if Derek has a little girl."

"Then you should be calling Meredith Grey and not me."

Addie laughed. "I'm sure that's a call that would not go well. And if Meredith's daughter is sick, I wouldn't want to add to her stress. But I'd like to be able to warn Derek."

"How would that help?"

"It would prepare him for seeing his little girl for the first time when she's fighting for her life. But, you know what, if he's a match, we'll both be suspicious, so if you don't share anything with me, I'm assuming that's what is going on."

"Addie, it's confidential. I can't tell you one way or the other."

"Look Callie, you should know that Derek's already been tested, so we'll know soon enough if he's a match, and, if he's a match, I'm sure the kid is Meredith's. If that's true, she really has bad luck. To have a mother with Alzheimer's and then a kid with leukemia. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Not to say that Meredith is my enemy, even if she stole my husband."

"Addie, Meredith didn't steal your husband. You know that. Anyway, I can't say anything about the girl's identity, but I can tell you this. She is a wonderful child. If someone from Mount Sinai can save her life, we'll all be eternally grateful. She calls me "Aunt Callie," and I love her to death."

"Callie, I love children –that's why I specialize in neonatal medicine. I hope this baby gets a good match. I'm just worried about Derek. And I feel guilty. If it's his kid, I kept him from his kid."

"Addie, let's just focus on getting everyone at Mount Sinai to sign up for the registry. Maybe we can find a match for Baby Grace and for others as well."

Callie put the phone down, and immediately went to talk to Bailey. "Bailey, you should know I got a call from Addison, and she's very suspicious of your calling Derek for the bone marrow testing. She's already figured out that Baby Grace is Meredith's daughter."

Bailey frowned. She had known this was a possibility, but she thought it was worth the risk. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her nothing like I promised. But she said Derek's already been tested, and that, if he's a match, they'll know the kid Is Meredith's. It would be too much of a coincidence to be someone else's."

"Well, let's all pray he's a match. If he comes, Meredith will have to deal with it, but she'll do anything to save Chrissy's live, even deal with Derek."

"Well, he's divorced now."

"He walked away from Meredith. I don't know if she can forgive him . . . but saving Chrissy's life may give her reason to forgive him. Let's just pray he's a match."

"Will do. Should I tell Meredith he's suspicious?"

"No. Let's not worry her about it until we know for sure he's a match. There is only a one of two hundred chance that he's a good HLA match. If he's coming, she can deal with him then. She has more than enough to worry about now. Doctor Blakely says the chemo isn't working yet, so he wants to try a new drug combination. Chrissy needs to go into remission before a bone marrow transplant can be done."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Cristina saw Bailey reading a computer screen with a big smile on her face. The smile made her curious; there had been so little to smile about for the last five weeks. She walked over to Bailey and said, "How is your super-secret Operation Test the Daddy coming?"

"I think you mean the Seattle's Baby Grace Bone Marrow Drive, which is going very well. Today's the first day at Mount Sinai in New York City, and I just got an emailed report about progress so far. As of this moment, 5 p.m. New York time, more than 500 people have been tested."

"And the baby daddy, has he been tested?" Cristina asked, getting to her main concern.

"The chief of surgery volunteered to be the first one tested, at my recommendation, so we should be finding out if he's a match in the next 48 hours. But there's only a 1 out of 200 chance he will be a match, so don't get your hopes up. There's no guarantee this is going to work."

"Do you have a plan B if it doesn't work?"

"We'll continue going to hospitals around the country to get people to join the bone marrow donor bank. We'll explore medical trials and exhaust every possible approach. We will do everything possible to save Chrissy."

"I know, and I'll do whatever I can to help."

"There is one problem though. Have you spoken to Callie?"

"No. I've been here for the last 48 hours, doing one heart surgery after another."

"Well, Addison called Callie for info. She suspects that Baby Grace is Derek's daughter. If Derek is a match, my plan will have worked and Meredith will be so happy to have a donor, she'll be happy to deal with Derek. But what if he is not a match but he suspects she's his daughter?"

"I'd put $100 down on him coming either way. He always wanted a house full of kids. If he thinks he has one here, he will come no matter what. We should be prepared for him to come either way. Are you going to tell Meredith?"

"No, not now. We'll see what the result is first. I'd rather have good news to give her."

"That makes sense. Don't worry. I'll talk to Alex and Izzie. We're going to guard Meredith 24/7. She doesn't need any more stress now."

"That's for sure. Our plan will be to keep him away from Meredith, if he comes."

Walking down the hall, Addison peered into Derek's office and saw him pacing back and forth. She opened the door. "Derek, what's up?"

"It's been 48 hours since my sample was sent off. So far more than 500 people were tested the first day, and another 700 the second day, but I haven't heard the results. I'm worried."

"It's great that so many people wanted to be tested. You've done a great thing, organizing this drive. You just have to be patient. You know that testing takes time, Derek. Our patients wait for tests all the time."

"I know. But I keep thinking that I have a little girl in Seattle and her life is depending on me being a match."

"Derek, you don't know for sure it's your little girl."

"But you think it is."

"I think it could be. I would think that Callie would have told me if Meredith wasn't the mother; there are hundreds of women working at Seattle Grace, so saying it's not Meredith doesn't blow the anonymity. But maybe you're just one possible dad. As I recall, Meredith was dating the vet at the prom."

A wave of jealousy and anger swept through Derek as he recalled seeing Meredith coming down the stairs at Finn's. "But he's in Seattle. Wouldn't they have tried him first if he was a possible dad?"

"I don't know. I just don't want you to get your hopes us and then find out she's not your daughter."

"Hopes are up, Addie." He said with a smile. "I keep picturing her in my mind. I wonder if she has my hair."

"Derek, you know that if she's been on chemo for a while, she probably doesn't have any hair." Addie said, softly.

"Right. So I've been thinking . . ."

"Always dangerous," Addie said with a smile.

"So either I'm a match, or I'm not."

"Right. And if you're a match, you're taking the next plane to Seattle."

"Right. But what if I'm not a match?"

"Well, maybe she's not your daughter."

"But most of the time parents aren't matches, so not being a match doesn't mean that she's not my daughter."

"Right. Even if she's your daughter, the odds are you won't be a match."

"Right, so I've been doing some research."

"Again, dangerous," said Addie with a smile.

"Siblings have a much greater chance of being a match – one in five."

"Yes, but," and Derek interrupted her. "I know she doesn't have a sibling who's a match, but she could. There's pre-implantation genetic screening that can make sure that the sibling has the right HLA match."

Addie shook her head in amazement at this idea. "I know all about pre-implantation genetic screening and IVF. I am a neonatal surgeon and ob/gyn, remember?" Derek nodded. "There are lots of moral problems with creating babies to save another child's life."

"Addie, you know I wanted a large family."

"Yes, and I wanted one or two children, and we never got around to even trying because we agreed that we'd only have children once we saved our marriage, remember." Addie nodded wistfully, her hand stroking her belly. Now was certainly not a good time to tell her ex-husband that she was expecting. "We didn't want to bring children into the world when our marriage was broken. And now you're thinking of having a child – or maybe more since multiple births are common with IVF – with a woman you haven't seen in four years who lives 3000 miles away!"

"It does sound crazy when you say it like that." He frowned. The he said, "And I'm sure you and Jake will have your one or two children before long. You've only been married two months."

"Thanks, Derek," she said, smiling. "And Derek, you'd need almost a year for the plan to work. You'd have to get Meredith to agree, and even if everything worked perfectly the first cycle, pregnancy is 40 weeks. You don't know that whether this little girl can wait a year for a transplant."

"You're right. This plan may not work, but right now it is the best plan B I can come up with."

"I'm hoping plan A works, and you're a match. You'll find out soon."

"Not soon enough. I haven't been able to sleep since Bailey called."

"You need to sleep. You should take a sleeping pill if you can't sleep. You won't be able to donate your marrow if you're sick, so you can't let yourself get run down. Come on, I'll buy you dinner so you have a good meal. You need to eat, too. You have to stay healthy."

The phone rang. "It's from the National Marrow Donor Program," said Derek.

"Well, answer it. I'll leave."

"Don't go," he said, as he answered the phone.


	3. Chapter 3

Derek answered the phone,"Dr. Shepherd here."

"Hi, Dr. Shepherd, this is Suzie Chan from the National Bone Marrow Registry. I have great news about your drive for Baby Grace; we've found a match. The amazing news is that it's you." A big smile spread across Derek's face. "I've been working with the registry for ten years; I've worked with hundreds of marrow donor drives. But this is the first one where the individual is running the drive is the match. And you are pretty much a perfect match. We usually only see such a close match in siblings or, more rarely, in parents. What an amazing coincidence!"

"Yes, an amazing coincidence," Derek said with a small smile. "What's the next step?"

"I've booked you for a flight to Seattle tomorrow morning, 6 a.m. from LaGuardia on American Airlines. More tests are needed, and they have to be conducted on site. Donors typically need to spend at least 48 hours at the site for the tests."

"And then? What can you tell me about the treatment plan?"

"Well, baby Grace has ALL, and the guidelines call for a transplant because she didn't go into remission by day 28 of chemo treatment. The doctors are still working to bring her into remission. So the plan is to bring her into remission and then do the bone marrow transplant. With this situation, you're going to need two trips to Seattle, one for testing this week, and then a second one after she goes into remission. They usually provide for a recuperation period after the child goes into remission, so she's in good shape for the bone marrow transplant, so it may be a while before it is time to do the transplant."

"And if she doesn't go into remission?"

"Dr. Shepherd, as a doctor, I'm sure you know that leukemia can be fatal. But Seattle Grace is a top hospital and there are lots of chemo options for treating ALL. It's more likely than not that they'll be able to bring her into remission."

"What about Sloan Kettering?" he asked.

"It's another great hospital. I'm not the treating physician, but my guess is that Baby Grace is too fragile at this point to travel to NY. There's too much chance of her getting a new infection. Her treating doctor, Dr. Blakely, actually was trained at Sloan Kettering. He's first rate. Is travelling a problem for you?"

"Absolutely not. I was just thinking of better treatment for the young lady question."

"I will notify Dr. Bailey that you will be arriving in Seattle tomorrow."

"Okay." He hung up the phone and then stared at Addison. Their eyes met for a minute. "Addie, I think you were right. I'm a match for Baby Grace. I think she must be my daughter. Dr. Chan said it was an amazing coincidence that I'm the match.."

Their eyes locked again. "Congratulations, Derek. You always wanted to be a dad. And a little girl is perfect for you."

"But I never wanted my child to have a fatal illness."

"Derek, you can do the bone marrow transplant. Her life can be saved. I'm sure that Meredith and Bailey are making sure that she gets the best medical care possible. And with you being a perfect match, the odds should be in her favor."

"I hope you're right."

"I am right . I am Addison Forbes Montgomery, and I'm always right," Addie said with a smile.

"Addson, it's strange that we're now such good friends and I can talk to you about this child before I've been spoken to her mother."

"'I'm glad we've recaptured our friendship, Derek," Addie said with a smile. "We started out as friends, and now we're just friends again. I'm only sorry that your effort to repair our marriage deprived you of three years with your little girl."

"You can't blame yourself. Meredith chose not to contact me, and I chose to stay here in NY and not try to see Meredith again. If I'd ever gone to Seattle, I probably would have learned about my daughter. Now I'm upset that I missed time with her. But I'm mad at myself and Meredith, not you. And I don't even know her name."

"You'll learn her name tomorrow. For now, she's baby Grace."

"I want to see my baby girl." Derek smiled, thinking this was the first time he ever said "my baby girl."

"Of course you do. All you need to do to ask. I'm sure Meredith and Bailey are jumping for joy that you're a perfect match; they will be so thrilled that you're there, I'm sure you'll be able to see the girl. I don't see how they can deny you the opportunity to meet your daughter."

"I hope you're right.

"I thought you got the message – Addison Forbes Montgomery is always right."

"I'm also worried about seeing Meredith."

"Well, just don't lose your temper. You have to focus on what's right for baby Grace, and feuding parents is probably not good for a sick kid."

"I know. Do you think Meredith knows I know?"

"Bailey must, as I'm sure that Callie told her about our call. She wouldn't tell me that Meredith was Baby Grace's mother, but she didn't deny it either. I'm sure that once Dr. Chan tells them you're coming, they'll tell Meredith and she'll get prepared to see you."

"I hope she'll let me get to know my daughter. I'm going to stay til Sunday, and I want to spend time with her every day. And then I have to figure out the next step."

"Sounds like a plan."

Bailey smiled as she saw Meredith sleeping beside her daughter. There was no doubt that the dark and twisty mother loved her daughter. Bailey sat down, and within a minute Meredith stirred. She sat up quickly and asked, "Any news?"

With a big smile, Bailey reported, "We found a match!"

"Wow," Meredith smiled. "That's great." She looked into Bailey's eyes and noticed something there.

"It's Derek, isn't it?" She asked, and Bailey nodded. "So your scheme paid off. You got him to get tested, but now he'll be here, and I'll have to deal with him."

"Better dealing with Derek than not finding a match."

"I know. We're very lucky that he's a match. I'm grateful you found a way to ask him that didn't involve me calling him. He will be so mad at me when he realizes that baby Grace is his daughter!"

"I think he already suspects she's his daughter."

"Really?"

"Well, Addison told Callie she was suspicious. Derek might be brainless, but Addie's an ob-gyn; she knows what can result from a night of passion at a prom!"

"Bailey . . . "

"I know everything. Anyway, Callie kept your secret, but Addie let her know that if Derek was a match, they'd know it was your daughter."

"You didn't tell me that before."

"You have enough to worry about, Meredith. I wasn't going to add to your worries. And now you have good news. Derek may save Chrissy's life."

"I know. I'm very grateful. Believe me, Thatcher Grey saw me every day for my first five years of life, and he never bothered to come to Boston to see me after we moved to Boston. But Derek has agreed to fly 3,000 miles to give his bone marrow to a girl he's never met. He's a good man. I know I'm going to have to tell Chrissy that her dad is coming. He has the right to know her. I'm sure he'll want to meet her. You can let him meet her, if he asks."

Flashback:

_Meredith sat nervously, waiting for Dr. Blakely. "Meredith, Dr. Blakely. will be here in a minutes. It's going to be okay."_

_"You don't know that, Bailey. But thanks for coming with me. I'm so glad that I'm not alone."_

"_Meredith, you know you have an army of loyal friends and colleagues. You're not alone in this. We all care for Chrissy and for you." _

"_I know. I'm so grateful for all of you. You've all helped me ever since I learned I was pregnant. You've been there all the way with me, from the pregnancy, through this. And I need you more than ever now." _

_Dr. Blakely walked in. Meredith looked him in the eye, and he turned away. She knew he had bad news even before he opened his mouth. '_

_He sat down, and he began, "So yesterday was day 28 of Chrissy's chemo. Our test show that she is not in remission yet. We have a couple of other drug mixtures to try, so I'm hopeful we'll get her into remission. But now we're going to have to plan on a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Today, there's a good chance we'll find some stem cells that are a reasonable match, but a relative's bone marrow match would give her the best shot. I know you volunteered to be tested as soon as you heard the diagnosis, but you're not a match. I know she doesn't have any siblings, at least no full siblings. So I recommend you think of other possible family matches. Her dad would be the best bet. Meanwhile, I'll start her later today on a new drug combination."_

"_Okay," said Meredith. She walked out of the room, stunned, and Bailey guided her to Bailey's office._

"_Meredith, I'm so sorry, but you're not a match," said Bailey. _

_She started whimpering and then burst into sobs. She was inconsolable. Bailey patted her back. _

"_Meredith, have you thought of calling Derek and asking him to be tested?" asked Bailey. _

_Meredith lifted her head and her green eyes stared into Bailey's brown ones. She stopped her sobbing, "Seriously, what a great way to find out you have a baby! Hi Derek, guess what, you have a baby girl, and she's dying. "_

"_Meredith, she's not dying. She's getting the best medical care possible, and she still has a good chance to survive this."_

"_You know, Bailey, I had planned to invite him to Chrissy's third birthday party. I had a package all ready for him, with a photo album and a letter as well as the invitation. I was going to put it in the mail. I had put it on a table by the door. It was never my plan to keep them apart. But Derek left to fix his marriage; he couldn't do knowing he had a child in Seattle. It couldn't help their marriage for them both to learn about Chrissy, but I thought almost four years was enough time. Chrissy is old enough to know she should have a dad in her life. I wasn't going to deny her a dad any longer. But then I found out she was sick, and she wasn't going to have a nice birthday party at the aquarium like we planned. We had to have her party here, in the hospital. I couldn't bring myself to call him now. It's too hard. At least I got to have some happy times first. And he probably won't be a match anyway."_

"_You don't know that. He could be a match. And, don't worry, I'll find a way to figure out if he's a match. And I've launched a drive here at Seattle Grace to test for donors. I'm sure everyone will step up and be tested. I'm sure we'll find a match."_

"_Thank you so much, Bailey."_

"Hi, Chrissy.

Hi Mom. Her daughter looked up. She was so tired and worn out even though she had done nothing but lie in the hospital bed now for more than a month. Meredith's heart ached, but she kept her voice calm. "I have some good news. We have a bone marrow donor coming tomorrow. You're going to get better soon!"

Chrissy nodded. "I want to be better. I want to go home."

"I want you to go home, too." Meredith sighed. Chrissy had been diagnosed with ALL little more than five weeks ago, and she had immediately been hospitalized and put on chemo. Neither Meredith nor Chrissy had been home since. Meredith was lucky that her friends were willing to go to her home and get clothes and items for Chrissy. She didn't want to leave Chrissy.

"It's wonderful news, sweetie."

"When can I go home?"

"That's up to the doctor."

"You're a doctor, Mommy."

"But not your doctor, sweetie For you, I'm just your mommy. Anyway, I hope you'll get to go home before too long. But I know something that you'll find exciting. The donor is your daddy."

Chrissy smiled. "My daddy? Can I meet him?"

"Of course." Meredith smiled, and hugged her daughter. "I don't think I'd be able to keep him away even if I wanted to. He's going to want to see you when he comes tomorrow. He is going to be so thrilled to meet you."

"Why haven't I met him before?"

"It's mommy's fault, not daddy's. He lives in NY, and I wanted you here with me. I love you so much I didn't want to share you with daddy. But now we'll share you, don't worry. He loves you a lot." Meredith said. She knew that Chrissy would want to know why she hadn't met her dad before, and she didn't want to lie to her little girl, and she couldn't blame Derek. He was innocent in all this. This was the best she could come up with.

"Mommy, I love you even if I have a daddy."

"I know, sweetie, I love you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Derek parked his car and walked up to the hospital entrance. He stood there for a few minutes thinking about the months he spent at this hospital. He knew his life would change forever the moment he stepped in the hospital.

"Derek Shepherd," called Alex Karev.

"Hi Alex,"

"I'm glad to see you. It's great you came."

Derek look puzzled. In all his time at Seattle Grace, Alex had never seemed happy to see him. "It's nice to see you, too, Alex."

"Well, you better come in Derek. I think you have some miracle work to do."

Derek looked at him with another puzzled look.

"Everyone knows why you're here Derek. You're here to save our baby Grace." Alex smiled. He made sure to say baby Grace. He felt obligated to keep the secret although he knew the secret wouldn't last long.

"Is that her name, Grace?"

"Derek, her name is confidential. We call her baby Grace for the hospital, Seattle Grace." Alex frowned.

"You know her, don't you?"

Alex smiled. "Of course, Derek, everyone here knows her. She's a really sweet kid. She calls me Uncle Alex. But we all agreed to maintain her anonymity. But you know, if everything goes okay, sometimes donors get to meet their recipients."

Alex and Derek walked into the hospital, side by side. As Derek walked in, he saw the receptionists and nurses waving at him. He went to the elevator with Alex. He wanted to ask about her, but thought it made sense to stay quiet. "How have you been Alex?"

"Fine. What about you?"

"Well, I got divorced a year ago. I gave my marriage a good try in New York, but I couldn't make It work." He wanted to be sure Alex knew he was divorced.

"But you didn't come back here."

Derek frowned. Knowing what he knows now, he wish he'd come back the moment he filed for divorce. He missed so much with the daughter he still hasn't met. And who knows how much time he'll have with her. "I'm back now."

"Just for a few days."

"We'll have to see about that." Derek smiled. "Maybe I'll fall in love with your baby Grace. I hear she's a real sweetheart."

"Yes, she is." Alex smiled, but frowned inside. Derek clearly knew Grace was his daughter. It's a good thing that Bailey had warned them all that Derek probably knew. He wondered how Meredith was going to handle this.

Derek finally arrived on the surgical floor and spotted his contact. He used his McDreamy smile and said, "Hi Bailey."

"Hi Derek. It's great to see you."

"I have an appointment in oncology at 2:00 p.m., but I want to meet my daughter today."

"What makes you think you have a daughter?"

"Bailey, I'm not as brainless as you think. Relatives are the best matches. I know how you love your suck-ups. You wanted me tested, and I was a match. The only three year old girl I could possibly be related to here is Meredith Grey's baby girl, if she had a baby girl. So I'm guessing that your patient is Meredith Grey's daughter and my daughter as well. I'm here to save her life, and I'd like to meet her. Do you have a problem with that?"

"I'm guessing that Addison figured it out, not you. As an ob-gyn, she knows what happens from having unprotected sex at the prom. Callie told me about her call. You can meet Chrissy today at 4 p.m. I'm going to make sure that you don't meet up with Meredith today. She's a complete wreck. She knows you're here, and she appreciates what you're doing. But all she can think about is Chrissy."

"That's fine with me. I'm hoping there will be plenty of time for us to talk after our baby recovers." Derek smiled. He noted her name, Chrissy. Was that for Cristina, her person or for Christopher, his dad?

"And Derek, she's very sick. And she looks very sick. She's been on chemo for five weeks. She has lost her hair. You should prepare yourself. I know you've seen sick kids, but I'm sure it will be especially tough to see her now you know she's your daughter."

"I know she's sick, but I need to see her today. I don't want to wait."

"Okay. Just know that we all try to focus on making her happy, so don't break into tears when you see her. We need to keep her spirits up. We keep the tears for after we leave." Bailey spoke softly.

Derek looked met her eyes, and he realized that even Bailey had shed tears for the daughter he still has not met.

Derek nervously waited until the clock turned 4. He walked up to Bailey, and she brought him to the door of a hospital room on the oncology ward. He stared at the door for a few minutes, and he smiled. He knew he had to go in smiling and stay smiling, no matter what he saw.

Derek opened the door and stared at the child lying in the hospital bed. She was sleeping.

"Hi Derek," Izzie greeted him with a smile. He hadn't even noticed the blonde sitting beside the girl. She didn't look like her perky self despite her smile. She got up and went to leave the room. "Derek, please page me before you leave. We never leave Chrissy alone. There's always someone with her, usually Meredith, but when Meredith has to leave, then me or one of our other friends stays with Chrissy."

"Bailey gave me an hour, so why don't you come back then?"

Izzie smiled, "That's a good plan."

Derek walked over to the bed, sat in the chair beside the bed that Izzie had just deserted, and watched his daughter. She was pale white, and she had lost all her hair, even her eyebrows, from chemotherapy, and she was sleeping. He wondered if her hair was dirty blond like her mother's or dark curls like his. His heart was breaking for her struggle with cancer.

She must have heard them chatting; she was stirring. She opened her eyes, and her piercing blue eyes looked into his.

"Hello, young lady," he said, "My name is Dr. Derek Shepherd."

"Shepherd? My name is Shepherd, too." She said, staring into his eyes.

Derek smiled. He never would have thought that Meredith gave her daughter his name. "Really?"

"Yes, Christine Grey Shepherd. Are you my daddy?"

Derek looked at her closely. "Why do you think I might be your daddy?"

"Mommy said my daddy was going to come and give me his marrow. She said he would be here today and that his name was Shepherd, like mine. And she showed me your picture."

Derek smiled a big smile. "Yes, I'm your daddy, and I love you very much."

"How can you love me when you never met me before?"

"Because you're my girl." He gathered her in his arms and gave her a big hug. He smiled, but inside his heart ached. As an uncle of fifteen, he had much experience in hugging three year old children; Chrissy was very thin and insubstantial. After he put her back in her bed, he took out a teddy bear from his bag and gave it to her. "Here's your dad's first gift for you."

"Thank you, Daddy." She smiled as she hugged the bear.

Derek took his phone out, and thought for a moment. "Chrissy, can I take a selfie with you?"

"You want my picture?"

"Yes, with me, father and daughter. I love you so much."

"Sure, daddy." Derek took the photo and showed it to Chrissy. She smiled, seeing the photo of her and her dad.

"I wish I had hair. I look pretty with hair."

"You're beautiful now," Derek said, with tears in his eyes. "You're going to get better, and your hair will grow again, and we're going to take many father and daughter pictures."

"Really? You're not going to leave?"

"I'll be with you as much as possible, sweetheart."

"Can you tell me some stories about you? I want to know about you."

"Sure, sweetie, " Derek smiled and started telling stories of his youth.

Derek stared as Chrissy fell asleep, and, when Izzie walked in, he left the room. His hour was up. He walked into the hallway and went straight to the nearest on-call room where he started sobbing. He was glad that Bailey told him to save his crying for after he left Chrissy. He had fallen deeply in love with his daughter, and he was so worried for her.

Once he stopped sobbing, he knew how to get some comfort. He dialed his phone. "Mom."

"Derek, what's wrong?" asked Carolyn. She could tell from his voice that something big was wrong.

"Mom, do you still go to mass every day?"

"Yes, Derek. Why do you ask?

"I need you to pray, Mom." He said.

"Why sweetie?"

"I'm sending you a photo right now. That will explain everything."

Carolyn looked at her email and opened the email from Derek. "Who is this girl?"

"My daughter."

"You're what?"

"My daughter. Christine Grey Shepherd."

"Derek, she looks about three or four, and you've never mentioned a daughter."

"She's three. I didn't know I had one really until today."

"What?"

"When I was in Seattle, I met a girl, Meredith, and I fell in love. I left to get my marriage back on track, but obviously she had a baby. She never told me, Mom."

"Oh, sweetie, you missed so much."

"Yes, and I got a call last week that they were looking for a bone marrow donor and they wanted everyone at Mount Sinai to be tested. But really it was just an effort to get me to be tested. And I'm a match. She has leukemia, Mom. She could die."

"She will be okay. She's going to get your marrow. I'll be praying for her. Can I come and meet her?"

"Not now. I haven't spoken to her mother yet. We have more testing tomorrow, and the next day is a treatment team meeting to let us know the plans"

"Can I skype with her? I want to meet her as soon as possible. I'm a nurse. I know what can happen, and I want to meet my granddaughter and let her know that I love her and I'm praying for her."

"I'll have to ask her mom, but she should agree to that. Tomorrow at 5 here would work, I think."

"I'll tell your sisters unless you want to tell them. We'll all pray for her. Remember to skype with me tomorrow. I want to tell my granddaughter that I love her."

"Okay, Mom. And it's fine if you tell the girls. They will be much nicer to you than they would be to me, that's for sure."

"And the whole parish will be praying for her. With all our prayers, and the best medical care, I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I hope so, Mom. It would be so great to bring my little girl to your house for Christmas, and give her Christmas presents with her cousins."

"I know, honey, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's focus on today."

"Thanks, Mom."

Meredith sat in the hospital room watching her daughter sleep. She opened her eyes. "Hi sweetie, Mommy's here."

"Daddy came, mommy, just like you said he would."

"That's great."

"He said he loved me."

"I'm sure he does," Meredith said, smiling. "You're a lot like him, you know. Anyone who knows you loves you."

"I'm glad I met my daddy."

"Me, too." Meredith said, feeling sad that she hadn't called Derek earlier so they could have met in happier circumstances.

"Will his marrow make me feel better?"

"I hope so, sweetie, I hope so." She gave her daughter a big hug.

Derek found himself walking into the Emerald City Bar. He really needed a drink, and there was nowhere better than Joe's for a drink.

"Hey, doc," called Joe.

"You remember me?"

"How could I forget you? You saved my life with a standstill operation. I'm so happy you're here."

Derek met his eyes. "And why is that?"

"Because you're here to save Chrissy."

"So you know my daughter. Does she hang out in this bar?"

"Sometimes, when she was healthy, Meredith would bring her here for lunch, as a special treat once a week, starting when she was one. It was a mother and daughter date. And my kids have spent many hours playing with Chrissy at the park and at birthday parties. We all love Chrissy."

"Me, too."

"Don't worry, doc. She's going to be okay," said Joe with a smile.

"From your mouth to god's ears."

Derek opened the door to his trailer, expecting a musty smell, as he hadn't been there for more than four years. But he was surprised that it smelled fine, as if it had been used. And then he turned on the lights, and he was stunned to see toys and children's books everywhere. There were legos on the floor, and blocks on the kitchen table. There was a Barbie in the bed, and a stack of Dr. Seuss books next to the bed. Obviously, Meredith had brought Chrissy here often to play and read. He smiled. His daughter had his last name, and a version of his father's name (Christopher) for her first name, and she had spent time in his trailer. Maybe he wasn't as much of a stranger to his daughter as he thought he was. And maybe Meredith still loved him. He smiled. Certainly, Addison would think that spending time in the trailer willingly was a sign of love.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Meanwhile, back in New York, Addison had just gotten out of surgery. She was happy; both mom and baby were going to be fine. She looked at the clock; it was already 10 p.m. Babies decide to come at all hours. She had known that her nights could be long when she decided to specialize in ob/gyn. She just loved the feeling of helping to bring a baby into the world. She went into her office, and scanned through her emails before leaving. She smiled when she saw one from Derek, with a picture of him and his daughter. "Hi Addie," he wrote,"You were right again. Here's a photo of my daughter Chrissy and me. She is wonderful! I'm so glad you figured out that baby Grace was my daughter." Addie smiled; she felt vindicated. She had known Dr. Bailey's call was for one reason alone – to get Derek to be tested for his daughter. They were so lucky that he was a match.

Then the door burst open. Addie starred as two of her favorite Shepherds, Nancy and Kathleen, walked into her room. She smiled. She had spent so many hours shopping with them; the two of them loved shoes even more than she did. They had so many great times together when she was married to their brother and even before. But she hadn't seen them for a while now, not since they had filed for divorce. She missed the Shepherd family holidays; they were so much more fun than those with Bizzy and the Captain. "We know it's late, Addie, but we checked the schedule and saw you were going to be in surgery at least til 9:30 p.m."

"What brings you here this hour of the night?" Addie smiled.

"Derek sent this photo to mom," asked Nancy, holding up a 8x11 photo of Derek and Chrissy.

"Derek sent me a copy," she said, continuing to smile.

"Oh," said Nancy, surprised that Derek was still in touch with Addie. "That slutty intern is passing off a sick kid as Derek's," said Nancy.

"She's his daughter," said Addie.

"Has Derek done a DNA test?" asked Nancy.

"He doesn't need to. He is an exact HLA match to the daughter of a woman he slept with at the time she was conceived. Besides, look at her eyes in the picture. They're just like his, piercing blue."

"Addie, maybe the slutty intern sleeps with lots of men with piercing blue eyes. Derek's not the only one with piercing blue eyes. But maybe Derek's the only one with boatloads of money. Maybe she wants his money to pay for her child's medical care."

Addison laughed. "You think Meredith is after Derek for his money? She's the daughter of Ellis Grey. She has plenty of money. And she has never asked Derek for a dime in child support. And she didn't even call him to ask him to be tested. Another doctor from Seattle Grace, Dr. Bailey, asked Derek to spearhead a bone marrow drive to find a match for an anonymous child. He agreed to be tested before he even thought she could be his child."

"Why do you think this is funny? Aren't you hurt? This baby was born when you were married to Derek," said Kathy.

"It's my fault, you know. If I hadn't slept with Mark in my home – the one I shared with Derek, he wouldn't have discovered us and left for Seattle. I cheated first. And Derek made a sincere effort to mend our marriage. That's why we came back to NY. But we couldn't. And now I'm happy. I'm married to Jake, and we're expecting a baby. I haven't told Derek yet, so please don't tell him. I want to be the one to let him know."

"But still. she had this baby, assuming it's Derek's, and she never let him know until she was sick."

"Derek could never have given our marriage a real shot if he had known Meredith was pregnant or that he had a baby. By keeping silent, she was doing me a favor. You can't blame her for that."

"I still think Derek should insist on a DNA test," said Nancy.

"That's up to Derek, but, if I were you, I wouldn't go there. Derek is dealing with a lot now. He believes, for good reason, that Chrissy is his daughter, and her life is in danger. I'm sure he is scared and worried. He needs your support."

"But it would be easier for him is he knew she is not his daughter," said Kathy.

"But Derek and I both believe that she is his daughter. So does Dr. Bailey and Meredith. You have no good reason to believe that she is not his daughter. The fact he is such a close HLA match is pretty good evidence she's his daughter." Addie paused. "I'm sure it's scary to think you have a niece you never met who is so sick. But Derek needs your support, and he may even need more help. You should let Derek know that you support him and you'll help anyway you can."

"I'll think about it," said Nancy, "But I am going to suggest he get a DNA test anyway. If it is positive, then I can accept her as my niece." Nancy and Kathy then left the room

Derek woke up when he heard his cell phone ringing. He looked at the caller id and thought for a moment before answering it. "Hi Nancy, how are you?"

"Just fine. How are you doing?"

"Thrilled to be a dad, but scared because my daughter has cancer. I imagine Mom told you the story."

"Yes, she did. How sick is the girl?"

"My daughter Chrissy, you mean. She has leukemia, and so far it has been resistant to chemo. The doctor is hoping to get it in remission, and then he'll do a bone marrow transplant. I'm a match."

"It's good you're a match."

"Quite a miracle, actually. It's only 1 out of 200 that a parent will be the match."

"Derek, it sounds like you have gotten really attached to the girl."

"Yes. Once I realized she was likely my daughter, I got attached even before I saw her. Now that I met her, I'm very attached."

"I think that before you get more attached, you should get a DNA test."

"She's my daughter, and I don't need a DNA test to prove it. If you want a DNA test to accept her as your niece, then you're going to miss out on a lot with Chrissy and with me. Chrissy's mom has made her room a negativity-free zone. I'm making my life a negativity-free zone while we're fighting Chrissy's cancer, so if you don't want to support me and Chrissy, that's fine. Just stay away."

"I'm just worried about you."

"You don't need to worry about me. I'm a big boy. I fell in love with Meredith, but I felt I needed to make my marriage work. I've missed out on three years with Chrissy, and I need to make sure that she lives. That's my goal. So if you're not with me on this, then I don't need you in my life right now."

"Derek, I'm your sister."

"I wouldn't ask you to abandon one of your children. You're welcome to support me and Chrissy. It's your choice."

"Derek . . . "

"Call me back when you're ready to support me and welcome Chrissy to the Shepherd family. Good-bye." Derek hung up the phone. He smiled, remembering Izzie's nickname for his sister Nancy, McBitchy. Izzie was certainly right.

He glanced at his phone and noted he had two new texts. The first read "Congrats on my new niece. Tell her Aunt Amy loves her and can't wait to meet her." The second read, "Hi Derek, I'm eager to meet my new niece. When can I come? Is there anything I can do to help? I'm praying for her, Love Lizzie." Derek smiled. At least he had two of his sisters on his side. Then his phone rang again, and he answered, "Hi Kathy. How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you feeling?"

"Thrilled to be a dad, but scared for my daughter. I take it Mom has told all of you about Chrissy. I got sweet texts from Amy and Lizzie."

"That's great. Have you heard from Nancy?"

"Yes, she called this morning. She won't accept Chrissy without a DNA test."

"That's not completely unreasonable. It is pretty common to use DNA to establish paternity when the parents aren't married."

"Well, it is unreasonable in this case. Modern science has already determined I'm a perfect HLA match; the doctor at the National Bone Marrow Center thought it was very unusual to have such a close match without being related."

"Well, maybe they would find it useful to have proof that you are related."

"I'm not interested in scientific research on related donors right now. I know I'm a match, and I know I'm her dad. Meredith told Chrissy I'm her dad. She would only do that because I'm her dad."

"But a DNA test would make Nancy more comfortable in accepting her . . ."

"I don't care what Nancy thinks. Right now, I'm much more interested in what Chrissy's mom thinks. And I'm not going to tell her that I want a DNA test. My goal right now is to spend as much time as possible with Chrissy. Telling her Mom I don't l believe her is not going to help."

"You could just tell her that your sister recommended a DNA test."

"Meredith has already met Nancy. Her friend Izzy nicknamed her McBitchy. I'm not going to tell Meredith and her friends that I care what Nancy thinks because I don't. I know Chrissy's my daughter. So you're either with me on this, or not. Anyway, as a therapist would you recommend asking the mom of a girl who has leukemia which is not yet in remission for a DNA test?"

Derek heard nothing but silence. "That's what I thought. I'm not going to have any time for anyone who's not with me on this. Anyway, I have to go. I have medical appointments this morning for more tests to make sure I'm really a good match. Think about what I said."

"Okay. Good luck with the tests."

"Thanks."

Derek went to the hospital and gave some more blood and marrow samples for testing. Then he returned to the hall outside Chrissy's room. He saw Cristina, who greeted him with a big smile.

"Hi Dr. Shepherd," said Cristina.

"Dr. Yang, you look happy to see me," said Derek, surprised at her big smile. He couldn't recall a single time when she had smiled at him before. She rarely smiled at all, as he recalled.

"Of course. You're here to save my goddaughter's life."

"Goddaughter?"

"Yes. Of course my person's daughter is my goddaughter. And thank you so much for coming."

"She's my daughter, Dr. Yang. I would have been here for her birth, if I knew about her."

"I know." Cristina said.

"And I just met her yesterday."

"You walked away, Derek."

"Not from my daughter. I had no idea I had a daughter."

"I know. It wasn't my place to tell. Now you know. Don't walk away now. Chrissy's been talking about how much she loved meeting her daddy since she woke up this morning. She was thrilled to meet you. Please don't yell at Meredith. She's had a very rough time."

"I could have helped."

"You're helping now. That's all we need. Now why are you lurking outside Chrissy's room?"

"I need to talk to Meredith."

"But this is not a good time. Bailey didn't say you could meet Meredith today, did she?"

Derek looked at her with puzzlement. "Bailey told us the ground rules. We knew you could meet Chrissy if you asked, but you need to stay away from Mer. Mer is a total wreck. I don't think she can handle seeing you now."

"I need to ask her something."

"What? You can ask me. I'm Mer's person."

"My mom wants to skype with Chrissy at 5 p.m. today. She wants to see her granddaughter. She went to mass today and prayed for her, and she's asked the whole parish and our whole family to pray for her. It thought I should ask Mer's permission."

"I'm sure it's fine, Derek. Let me ask her, and I'll let you know." Christina smiled.

"And one more thing. I need a copy of her birth certificate."

"Her birth certificate?"

"Yes." Derek smiled. He wanted to see Christine Grey Shepherd in print, but there was another reason, one he was happy to share with Cristina. "I called my health insurance carrier, and, if I fax her birth certificate, they can add her to my policy. I already made it a family policy before I flew out here. I knew baby Grace was my daughter. All this medical care costs lots of money, and I want to contribute my fair share."

"That's great, Derek. I'll ask Mer about it. I don't think it's a problem, but you should know that the hospital has been great about the medical costs; they've waived most of the co-payments."

Cristina smiled again at Derek, and walked into Chrissy's room. She saw that Chrissy was sleeping, and Meredith was staring at her daughter, savoring each second with her. "Hi, Mer."

"Hi, Chris. I'm so worried. They're doing more tests today. She has to go into remission or else they won't be able to do the transplant."

"Mer, only positive thoughts are allowed here. If you want, I'll buy you a drink at Joe's."

"I can't leave her."

"You can when Derek is with her. By the way, I just spoke to Derek."

Meredith lifted her eyes and looked at Christina's.

"What's up?"

"The whole baby Grace anonymity has been blown, you know."

Meredith smiled and looked at her daughter. "I know. He met her yesterday. She was thrilled to meet her dad. I just wish I'd swallowed my pride and called him when she was a baby. They have both missed so much."

"He's going to save her life, and they'll have many years to spend together, Mer."

"I hope so. What did he want? To yell at me?"

"I don't think he can yell at you now." Christina said, looking at her friend, who was very pale and thin herself; the past five weeks of worrying and sleepless nights had left her weak physically although she tried her best to be strong for Chrissy. "Actually, he's told his mom about Chrissy, and she want to skype with Chrissy at 5. I told him I didn't think it would be a problem, but I'd check with you."

Meredith looked up at Christina. "No problem. What have I done? I kept my daughter from her dad but also from her grandma and her aunts and uncles and cousins. What was I thinking?"

"Meredith, you did what you thought was best. And she has had a big, loving family here. There's a reason we called her baby Grace; none of us, besides you, may be related by blood, but she has dozens of aunts and uncles here. She has a lot of love in her life, and she knows it. Don't worry about what's in the past. Focus on today for Chrissy."

"She should meet her family. I'm sure she'd love to."

"Ok. I'll tell Derek. He also wants her birth certificate. He says it's to add her to his health insurance policy. I think he just wants to see Derek Shepherd, father, on the birth certificate."

"Well, that's what it says."

"I know. I saw you write it. I couldn't believe it then. But now I know you knew what you were doing. It's great that he's here."

"It's amazing that he dropped everything and came and donated the marrow." Meredith looked at Cristina.

"Not amazing at all," said Cristina. "It is really the minimum one could expect of a dad."

Meredith smiled. "You may think so, but I don't think Thacher would have flown across the country to give me his marrow. And he had spent the first five years of my life with me."

"Meredith, I know your dad sucked. But Derek is a good man and he always wanted to be a dad. And he would have come even if Chrissy wasn't his daughter."

"He just didn't know he had a daughter. And that's on me."

"You can fix that now. She's going to be fine. You're going to have a chance to work things out."

"Okay. Tell Derek he can have three hours with her today, 4 to 7. That way I'll have a chance to go home and get some fresh clothes. I haven't been home for weeks. I guess it's useful having a second parent in the picture."

"Meredith, you know we're always happy to sit with Chrissy and give you a break."

"I know. I just don't like hovering here while he's with her." Meredith paused. "You can also tell him that he's welcome to come to the treatment team meeting tomorrow morning. It's going to be at 10, here in the conference room."

"Okay. And I'll take you to Joe's at 6."

Chris walked out of the hospital room and immediately saw Derek. "She said you can have 4 to 7 with her. And skyping with your Mom is no problem. I'm going to take her to Joe's for a drink and a burger. And I'll get you the birth certificate. And she also says you can come to the treatment team meeting tomorrow, at 10, in the conference room, if you're going to still be around."

Derek smiled. He was going to have a chance to see Meredith tomorrow, even if it was under difficult circumstances. He just hoped the doctor would have some good news. "I'm staying til Sunday. I want to spend as much time as possible getting to know my little girl. I'll be at the treatment team meeting, and I'd like to see Chrissy every day while I'm here. I know this is tough on Meredith; it's tough on me, and I've only known Chrissy for a day.""

"Okay."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Derek took a deep breathe, promising himself to stay upbeat, and he walked into the hospital room again. Izzie stood up as soon as she saw him, and she walked towards the door. "Hi Derek," she greeted him. "See you soon, Chrissy."

"Bye Aunt Izzie," called Chrissy. "Hi Daddy." She was smiling, and he smiled back with his McDreamy smile. He was so happy to hear her call him Daddy. It was amazing how quickly she'd adapted to having a dad. "Hi Chrissy. How are you today?"

"I'm tired. But I'm happy to see you. I love you so much."

"Well, I'm very happy to be here with you. I went to the trailer last night, and I noticed that you've been visiting my trailer."

"I love the trailer."

"Really?"

"Yes, I haven't been since I got sick, but Mommy used to take him there every Saturday if she had the day off. We'd play and she'd tell me stories about my daddy because it was his home."

"What kind of stories?"

"She'd tell me that he had a ferryboat cap and he loved ferries. " Chrissy smiled. "I love ferries, just like my daddy."

Derek smiled. "I want to go on a ferry ride with you some day."

"That would be fun. I really want to go home."

"I hope you'll be going home soon. But right now, you have to be patient and wait for the doctors to say you're ready to go home." Derek decided to change the subject, "Have you ever used skype?"

"No. What is skype?

"It's like using a camera phone." He sat down on the hospital bed and took Chrissy in his lap, putting his laptop on her lap so she had a good view. He turned the laptop on. "I'm calling my mom, your grandma, now. She wants to meet you." Carolyn appeared on the screen, together with Lizzie and Kathy. "Chrissy, here's your grandma, your Aunt Kathy, and your Aunt Lizzie." Chrissy gave a smile and softly said, "Hi."

"Hi Chrissy," said Caroline. "I'm your daddy's mommy, and I have two of his sisters here with me, your Aunt Lizzie and your Aunt Kathy. You have two more aunts, Aunt Amy, who is working as an intern in Baltimore, and your Aunt Nancy, who couldn't be here tonight. She is a doctor and works with women who are having babies." Derek frowned. He knew why his sister Nancy wasn't there, and it had nothing to do with babies. "We wanted to let you know how happy we are to meet you, and that we are praying for you."

Chrissy looked puzzled.

"We are asking God to make you better," explained Caroline.

"Thank you," said Chrissy, politely.

Derek wondered if Meredith had ever talked about God with Chrissy. He didn't recall ever talking about religion with her. He also noted that Chrissy was shy. "Mom, Chrissy likes ferryboats, just like me."

"That's nice, Derek. When Derek was little, I would take him on the Staten Island ferry. And sometimes we'd take the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty. When you're better, maybe your daddy can bring you to New York, and we can go on a ferry boat ride together."

"Maybe," said Chrissy. "I have to ask my mommy."

"Your mommy could come, too," said Caroline.

"You have fifteen first cousins here in New York, and they'd all love to meet you. We have a big family here in New York," said Lizzie.

"My family in Seattle is big," said Chrissy. "I have mommy, and Aunt Izzie, Aunt Cristina, Uncle George, Uncle Alex, Aunt Bailey . . ."

"Chrissy, it's great that you have so many people who love you, both in Seattle and in New York" interrupted Derek. He wasn't looking forward to telling his mother that all these relatives were her mother's colleagues and that Meredith had no family.

"I can't wait to meet you," said Caroline. "Daddy's going to tell me a good time to visit."

"I want to go home."

"I'm sure you do. I can visit you at your home in Seattle, if you're home."

"I have to ask Mommy."

"Don't worry, Daddy will talk to Mommy," said Caroline.

"And I have lots of clothes and toys for you," said Lizzie.

"Let's not overwhelm Chrissy and her mom," said Derek. He could imagine boxes upon boxes of hand me down clothes and toys coming to Meredith's house.

"Maybe when I come I can make some of your favorite foods," said Caroline. "What do you like to eat?"

"I like pizza. And Aunt Izzie makes the best cakes." Derek laughed, remembering Izzie's love of baked good. "I'm sure your Aunt Izzie loves baking for you," said Derek. "I love her cakes, too."

"Yes, and she lets me help. She won't let mommy help, but she says I can learn." Derek laughed again.

"I can teach you to make Daddy's favorites. He loves Italian food, spaghetti with meatballs and lasagna. We'll have a lot of fun," said Caroline.

Nurse Olivia opened the door and brought a dinner tray in. "Mom, Lizzie, Chrissy's dinner is here, so we have to go. It was fun chatting with you, but Chrissy needs to eat." They all said good-bye, and Derek told Olivia that he would feed Chrissy.

At Joe's bar, meanwhile:

"Hi Meredith, it's nice to see you."

"Hi Joe, tequila straight up."

"It's on the house," said Joe. "I'm sure you can use a drink."

"That's for sure," she said with a smile. Christina came in and sat down beside her, ordering another tequila for herself.

"I think Chrissy is going to be a Daddy's girl," Meredith said with a smile. "She can't stop talking about Derek."

"She loves you," said Cristina, "You know that. Derek is new to her, so he is exciting."

"I know she loves me. She's only known him two days, but she loves him, too."

"He's her dad. And you know you're responsible. You always told her great things about her dad. And you hung out with her in Derek's trailer. She was bound to love her dad. And Derek's going to be a great dad. She's lucky to have both of you."

"I think I was selfish, not telling him. I always knew that he'd be a great dad. But with him in NY, I wanted her to myself."

"You did what you thought was best for Chrissy. Dragging a baby back and forth to New York would have been rough. Anyway, I think you just wanted Derek to come back for you, not for Chrissy."

"That was selfish," Meredith said, with a nod, acknowledging the truth of Cristina's statement. "Chrissy deserved a dad."

"She has a dad. And now Derek is divorced. You have a chance again."

"I'm a different person. I'm a mom, a single mom. And I liked being a single mom. I liked having her to myself. I was selfish."

"You had a family to support you. You were never alone. She was always loved. And now Derek's in the mix. You're both parents, with the same child. And the two of you have a chance."

"He came back for Chrissy, not me."

"Well, my money is on the two of you getting back together before New Year's."

Meredith laughed. "So we're again the center of hospital gossip, with another betting pool on us."

"Yup. Sad to say, there's hardly anyone putting money on you two staying apart, so my winnings may be slim. Even the new interns have heard so much about the legend of Meredith and Derek that they're betting on you getting back together."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"And I haven't even seen him yet."

"You're going to see him tomorrow."

"I know. But I'm more worried about what the doctor's going to say than seeing Derek. I just hope that she's in remission."

"You know she's probably going to need at least two more rounds of chemo to be in remission," said Cristina softly. "You've got to be realist about this. The new meds may be working, but they need time."

"I know. But her being in remission is all I care about."

"One way or the other, she's going to be brought into remission. She may need some different drugs or more time, but you have to have hope. We're going to do everything we can."

"Sometimes everything is not enough," said Meredith, as tears started down her cheeks.

"We don't do crying, certainly not when there's still so much hope," said Cristina, as she draped her arm around Meredith.

"I thought we didn't do hugging."

"You're my person, and you need a hug. I think we're making an exception for when Chrissy's sick."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Izzie returned to the hospital room. She smiled as she she saw Chrissy sleeping in her father's arms while he was reading a medical journal.

"I guess it's time for me to go," said Derek.

Izzie nodded.

"Please tell Meredith that she has nothing to fear from me. I want what's best for Chrissy. I'm not going to yell at her, at least not until Chrissy is okay."

"I'll let her know."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Izzie knocked on the door, but she did not get a response, so she opened the door and walked in. She smiled as she saw Meredith sleeping in the hospital bed with Chrissy, both snoring in unison. She hadn't seen Meredith sleeping for weeks; recently, Meredith's eyes opened as soon as Izzie entered the room. Now she went over to Meredith and touched her shoulder.

Meredith stirred, and she opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Mer."

"I hope it's a good morning. We'll have to see what the doctor says."

"I thought you might want to have time to take a shower and change. I brought you some fresh clothes."

Meredith smiled. "I suppose you want me to make a good impression on Derek."

"I just thought you'd like to wear something clean. I think we all appreciate clean clothes."

"Are you telling me I've been stinking?"

Izzie smiled. "No. But I did bring your lavender conditioner so you could smell nice."

"I must have told you that Derek liked my lavender conditioner years ago. You have a great memory." Meredith smiled as she remembered all the times that Derek would sniff her hair.

"Thanks. I did want to let you know that when Derek left last night, he told me to tell you that you didn't need to be afraid of him. He's not going to yell at you, at least not until Chrissy's all better."

"That's good to know. I just hope she gets better." Meredith said with a smile.

"She will. You need to have faith. You also know that at some point you're going to need to talk to Derek without backup."

"Yes, but first I have to shower and change and go to the meeting with Dr. Barkley," said Meredith as she got up, first kissing Chrissy, who was still sleeping.

"You'll have Christina and Bailey there while I'm here with Chrissy."

"I really appreciate your help."

Derek opened the door to the conference room, and he saw Meredith was already there, with Bailey on one side of her and Cristina on the other. They stopped talking as soon as he walked in. Meredith was wearing a purple sweater. Her hair looked like it was still wet, with most of it in a ponytail. She wasn't wearing any make-up, and she looked exhausted and very thin. He wanted to walk over and hug her, but he resisted; he wasn't sure whether she would welcome his hug. Bailey and Cristina looked him in the eye, but Meredith looked away. There was a big bowl of muffins on the table. He smiled his McDreamy smile, and greeted them. "Good morning. I see that Izzie has been busy this morning."

"Yes, strawberry muffins, Chrissy's favorite," said Yang.

"Her mother's daughter."

"Yes," said Cristina.

Derek sat down next to Bailey, and before he could say anything, Dr. Blakely walked in. Derek was first struck by how young he was; he looked like he couldn't be more than 30. "Good morning, Meredith, Dr. Yang, Dr. Bailey, and …" he looked at Derek.

"Derek Shepard, Chrissy's dad," volunteered Derek.

"Pleased to meet you," said Dr. Blakely. He sat down, sitting directly across from Meredith. "I have some good news. Dr. Shepard is a perfect match for Chrissy."

Meredith nervously twisted her hands. She was concerned that Blakely started with the match, not the chemo results.

"What I'd like to do is have Dr. Shepard donate the marrow today. I would like to prepare it and then freeze it so we are sure we have the marrow ready to go. We have found that frozen marrow is better for avoiding rejection."

Derek smiled and said "I'm happy to donate today. However, I've been reading that there is preference for donors under 40, and I just turned 42. Would a sibling match be better?"

"Yes, if there was a sibling. But I was told that there are no siblings. And a half-sibling would be unlikely to be a good match. And 42 is fine."

"But we could create a sibling match, with preimplantation genetic screening for an HLA match." Meredith stared at Derek with a puzzled look. Bailey and Cristina had matching looks.

"A creative idea, but Chrissy doesn't have the time. My goal is to do the bone marrow transplant in about two months. We need to get her in remission asap and then do the transplant," said Dr. Blakely. "Now we need to talk about Chrissy's chemo. She has been doing somewhat better on the new medication, but I think that a few changes in the mix will be helpful in trying to get her into remission. My plan is to do three rounds of the new mixture, starting this afternoon, over the next three weeks. We will meet again then. If she is in remission then, we will put her on a low dose of chemo for a month while we prepare for the bone marrow transplant. She has lost a great deal of weight, and she may lose more with the new chemo. I'd like to have her gain at least five pounds from her weight today before we do the bone marrow transplant."

"Will she have to be in the hospital the whole time?" asked Meredith.

"Well, given that her mom and her mom's roommates are all doctors, I think we could let her go home after she goes in remission and before the bone marrow transplant. Once she has been in remission for a month, she would be readmitted, her bone marrow would be removed, and we would inject the new bone marrow. At that point, she would have no ability to fight infection and she would be hospitalized in a form of isolation for about six weeks, or until her new bone marrow met specific requirements. Visitors will be limited, but her parents can be with her. Even after she's discharged, she would need a central line for up to six months, and, she would need to be kept safe from infection. I recommend no pre-school, no day care, and no school for at least a year, maybe two, depending on how her bone marrow responds. Meredith, you will be able to return to work after she is discharged home, but you'll need in-home help. A nurse would be best while she has the central line. If things go well, she should be able to start kindergarten when she's 5."

"But she loves to play with other children," said Meredith.

"After she returns home with the new marrow, you will be able to let her visit with one or two children, provided that they do not have any infections. You'll need to take their temperature before you expose them to Chrissy. You will also need to use infection control measures; lots of handwashing and using purell and using a mask in public But you're used to scrubbing in and out, so you should be able to adjust to this."

"I'll help, Mer," said Derek. "And my mom can help, too. She's a retired Navy nurse, so she can take care of Chrissy. She'd be happy to come and help. I'll call her later today and then we can talk."

Meredith didn't acknowledge Derek. Instead, she turned to the doctor and said, "I feel like she's losing her childhood," said Meredith, with tears falling down her cheeks. "She loves going to daycare."

"Meredith, we're trying to save her life. Infections are a serious concern with a bone marrow transplant. Our program has been very successful, and I attribute that in large part to our vigilant efforts to prevent infection. Chrissy is young; the treatment is much tougher on adolescents. If all goes well, she will have plenty of time to go to school and play with other children. And she will barely remember this in ten years. You have to take it day by day."

"I know, but it's going to be tough."

"I recommend that you join a support group for parents whose children have cancer. I know you're a doctor, but it's much different to experience this as a parent than as a doctor. We have a group at the hospital that meets once a week, Tuesdays at 7 p.m."

"I'll think about it. I might run into some of my patients. That would be weird."

"There's a group at Seattle Pres, if you think that would work better."

"I'll think about it. If it's here, I will miss less time with Chrissy."

"That's true. Does anyone have any other questions?"

Everyone shook their heads. "Okay. Dr. Shepard , . ."

"You can call me Derek."

"Okay. You can always email me or call me if you have any other questions. Derek, you can come with me."

"I can come with you, Derek," said Bailey.

"Okay," said Derek with a smile. He wished Meredith had volunteered, but he was glad that Bailey would be with him.

After Bailey and Derek left the room with Dr. Blakely, Meredith turned to Christina and said, "Did I hear right? Did Derek suggest that we have another baby?"

"Yes, but his plan did involve IVF and not hot sex."

"Still, why would he want another baby with me?"

"Cause he met the first one, Chrissy, and she is so wonderful."

"You are so objective, being the doting godmother."

"Hey, Chrissy is objectively wonderful."

"Thanks. I'm going to go hang out with her. Want to come?"

"No, I actually a surgery to prepare for."

"Thanks for coming."

"No problem."

3


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Dr. Barkley escorted Derek and Bailey to his office. Once they all had seats, he began,"So Derek, I assume you read my email yesterday and followed my instructions."

"No food and no drink after midnight."

"That's right. I'm going to retrieve the bone marrow through surgery. That's the preferred approach when working with children. You're going to go under general anesthesia. Since we're starting midday, you get an overnight stay in the hospital, but you can be discharged in the morning."

"And what is the recovery period?"

"It ranges from a couple of days to a week. You should play it by ear. Avoid any strenuous activity."

"I was planning on going back to NY on Monday."

"Air travel is not a problem."

"And I have some surgeries scheduled for Tuesday."

"I'd avoid lengthy surgeries until you are sure you are comfortable. And by lengthy, I mean more than three hours. Do you have any more questions?" 

"No."

Dr. Barkley turned to Bailey, "I'd like you to get a resident involved to prep him for surgery."

"I'll do it myself."

"Okay. Go get him admitted and take care of the paperwork."

"No problem. Come with me, Derek."

"Okay." He said as he followed her into a hospital room.

"You shocked Meredith by suggesting having another baby," said Bailey.

"Well, I thought a baby's marrow would have a better chance than mine."

"But you can donate now; we'd probably have to wait a year or so for a baby. You know a baby takes at least nine months. You were married to an ob/gyn."

"I know. I spoke with Addison about it."

"I'd love to see the look on Meredith's face when you tell her that you talked to Addison about having a second baby with Meredith before you even met Chrissy. Anyway, you're not so old. I looked into the age issue before calling you. The National Bone Marrow Registry drops people from the donor registry when they turn 60. You're much younger than that. What's most important is that you're a great match."

"It has to work," said Derek, with some desperation in his voice.

"We all want it to work," said Bailey softly. "I'll be back in a minute. You should get your hospital gown on."

Later that day:

Derek woke up groggy. His hip hurt a bit. Bailey sat next to him. "How are you feeling, Derek?"

"It hurts a little."

"Do you want some morphine?"

"No. I'm good. I'm sure that childbirth hurt more than this. You know I don't even know if Meredith had a vaginal delivery or a c-section."

"It was vaginal, and she was in labor for fifteen hours before Chrissy was born, so you're right that childbirth hurt more than the bone marrow extraction. But you should get some pain medication if you're uncomfortable. No one is trying to punish you, you know. Everyone is grateful you've given your marrow."

"Well some motrin would be good." Bailey gave him the medication. Alex walked into the hospital room with a package. "Hi Alex."

"Hi Derek, hi Bailey. Meredith asked me to give you this package. She thought you might enjoy it while you're recovering. She was going to mail it herself and invite you to Chrissy's birthday party but before she could get it to the post office, she wound up in the hospital with Chrissy. And Chrissy hasn't been out of the hospital since then."

"Thanks." He noted that neither Bailey or Alex moved to leave. "It's nice of you to stop by, but you can both go. I'd like some privacy when I open this package."

"No problem. Please page me if you need any help." Bailey said, as she left the room.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Meredith wanted to apologize for not stopping by. Chrissy was having a tough time with the new chemo, and she didn't feel she could leave," said Alex.

Derek smiled. It felt good to know that Meredith wanted to stop by. "Tell her that I'd rather she be with Chrissy than me. Chrissy needs her mom. And giving the marrow was no big deal. So go and leave me to the package." .

Alex smiled and left the room.

Derek opened the package gently and found a Little Mermaid party invitation to the third birthday party of Christina Grey Shepard at the Seattle Aquarium, an envelope, and a book. He opened the envelope and found a letter

_Dear Derek,_

_I'm very sorry that I didn't write three years ago, but better late than never, right? I 'm writing to invite you to our daughter's third birthday party. Yes, "our daughter." As you may remember, we let ourselves get carried away at the prom, and, as a result, we have a wonderful daughter, Christine Grey Shepard.. _

_When I first found out I was pregnant, I figured that an adulterous love child would interfere with your plan to give your marriage a new start. I thought I'd give you at least a year, and then I'd let you know about Chrissy. _

_Having kept her a secret from you, it became harder and harder to tell. Anyway, Chrissy is now aboujt to turn three, and she is starting to ask about her dad. And I know that you will be a wonderful father, and she deserves a good dad. So, please come to her birthday party. You can bring Addison; I'm sure she'll be a loving stepmother to Chrissy. _

_As you will see from the photo album, Chrissy is a real mini-McDreamy, with your hair and your eyes. My friends call her "the mini-McDreamy" when they think I'm not listening, but I've heard them many times. I've been keeping the photo album for you since the moment I knew she was pregnant._

_After the party, we can talk about visitation and everything else. Don't worry; I'm not asking for any money. I can take care of Chrissy myself. I just want you to be involved as her dad._

_Take care,_

_Meredith_

Derek then started looking at the photo album. It started with a photo of a pregnancy test with a plus sign and then went to a series of sonograms. Tears starting running down his face when he saw the first picture after her birth; even as a newborn baby, Chrissy had a full head of hair. Meredith had included a photo every week for the first year of Chrissy's life, and then it slowed down a bit. Derek saw her sitting up, then crawling, and then walking. She always had a beautiful smile, and a beautiful head of hair. Derek went through the book, and then he went through it again and again.

The next morning, Meredith sat staring at her sleeping daughter. She heard the door open and saw both Izzie and Derek enter. She noticed that he was quite pale but still handsome in his button-down shirt and jeans. Her eyes met Derek's, and she smiled. She was so happy that he had donated his marrow; she was glad to have made some progress in Chrissy's treatment. "Thank you, Derek."

"It was nothing, you did the harder part, with nine months of pregnancy and labor and delivery. I would have done it for a total stranger. And thanks for the photo album. It was amazing! I am going to treasure it always. Anyway, I asked Izzie to come and sit with Chrissy while we talked. Is that okay?"

"Sure," she said. She didn't really want this conversation, but she knew that she owed it to Derek to talk with him. "She's still sleeping. The new chemo really knocked her out."

"I brought my latest issue of JAMA to study, so I'll sit and read unless she wakes up. No problem," said Izzie with a smile.

"Okay." Meredith got up and walked over to the door. She followed Derek, who went back to the conference room, which was empty. They sat down in the conference room, next to each other. Meredith remembered they hadn't been so close to each other since the prom.

"Thanks for talking with me," said Derek. He was a bit nervous. He also recalled that he hadn't been so close to Meredith since prom. He smiled, knowing now that was when Chrissy was conceived.

"No problem. I am so grateful to you."

"No reason for you to be grateful. She's my daughter, and I love her even though I've only known her a few days. She's amazing."

"That she is," Meredith said, smiling.

"Thanks again for the photo album."

"I'm glad you liked it."

"There was only one problem with the album," Derek said with a smile.

"What?" she said curiously.

"I didn't see a single photo of mother and daughter."

"I didn't think Addison would want to see any photos of me."

"We're divorced, as you may have heard. I'd love a photo of you and Chrissy."

"I'll look for one next time I'm home."

"Anyway, I want to spend as much time as possible with Chrissy before the transplant."

Meredith met his eyes. They both recognized that bone marrow transplants were dangerous and there was a possibility that Chrissy would not survive. Each moment was precious. But neither wanted to voice these concerns.

"I spoke with the Chair of the Board at Mount Sinai, and I'm going to take a leave. I'm entitled to twelve weeks of family and medical leave, and I also have some unused vacation time that I can use in addition. I have to go back on Sunday, and I have a number of surgeries that I had promised to do. I may also need to set things up for the interim chief for the next couple of weeks, but I'm going to be here Friday to Sunday or Monday next couple of weeks, and then I hope to stay here for a couple of months."

"Okay." Meredith had known that inviting Derek would lead to him being involved in Chrissy's life. "I think Chrissy's become a daddy's girl. She'll be very happy to spend more time with you."

Derek smiled. "She loves her mommy, too. She always talks about you." He paused and thought about his next words. "I was very nervous about seeing you again, but we both love Chrissy, and I think we should be able to spend time with her together. If you want, you can take a break, and, if you want, you could work a few days a week, when I'm here. But we should be able to both be with her at the same time, if we're both available. I don't want to be limited to two or three hours a day. I'd like to be with her as much as possible."

Meredith thought for a few minutes. She had always known that once she told Derek about Chrissy, she would have to work out visitation because Derek would want to spend time with Chrissy. Right now, it was easy; Chrissy was in the hospital and they could both be in the room with her. Derek might some day want to take her back to New York for a lengthy visit. Meredith smiled. She realized she was being ridiculous; all she wanted was Chrissy to get better, and if she was well enough to visit her dad in New York that would be wonderful. "That's fine, Derek. It's good for her to spend time with you."

"I hope you won't mind spending time with me, too," said Derek shyly.

"Derek, right now my focus is on Chrissy. I don't mind being together with you in her room. We need to co-parent Chrissy, I know. It's going to be an adjustment for me because I've been a single mom since she was born, but I know she needs a dad and that you've been wonderful to her since the moment you learned she was her daughter, but I'm not up for flirting or dating or anything like that."

"You say that now . . . "

Meredith smiled, remember when he used the same words in the locker room when she was an intern. "Derek, I've changed. I'm a different person, mostly because of Chrissy. She's my number one priority. I haven't even had a date since she was born."

Derek smiled at that admission. It was good to know there were no rivals for his affections. "She's my number one priority, too. So let's go back into her room together, and we can watch her together."

"Okay." They got up in unison and walked together to Chrissy's room.


End file.
